Farm Bill Blog Series

Why does something called a “Farm Bill” impact you? As part of our advocacy work for the next Farm Bill, NASDA is publishing an eight-week blog post series to highlight our priorities for the next Farm Bill. Included in this update is our first five weeks of content. Stay tuned for our posts on research, invasive species, and food safety!

Specialty Crops. This is a term the average consumer likely does not use or recognize despite (hopefully) consuming them in their daily diet. Congress defines specialty crops as “fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture).” Congress created the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) in 2006 to provide locally-driven innovation for specialty crop research, marketing, consumer and producer education tools, and more. NASDA Members have partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service to distribute over $537 million in competitive grants to local commodity groups, colleges and universities, municipalities, tribal organizations, and non-profits. The end game of these grants is to increase the competitiveness of specialty crops – this means supporting farmers while making Americans healthier!

We know the farm bill helps farmers and ranchers protect their bottom line and continue providing food. Not only does the Farm Bill help farmers with their crops, it helps them improve their land. The Conservation Title of the program is essential in helping farmers improve their farm, their surrounding watershed, and their local ecosystem. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides technical assistance, funding and voluntary programs to improve soil health, build resiliency and target the specific conservation needs of individual areas.

One of many examples of how NASDA members partner with NRCS to support voluntary conservation is from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD). MDARD has partnered with Indiana organizations to work on the St. Joseph River watershed through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) to the tune of $6.8 million. This grant provides resources to ...

On your next drive across our beautiful countryside, imagine that as many as one out of every five rows of crops are exported. That means corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, pecans, and a diverse array of other agricultural products will eventually nourish someone outside of the borders of our country. Farmers and ranchers depend on international trade for their livelihood. But it doesn’t stop there. From rural communities to urban areas, small businesses that transform agriculture’s bounty into products that are sold around the globe also depend on export markets overseas.

That is why the Market Access Program (MAP), which helps our farmers, ranchers, and small businesses make inroads into the global marketplace, is so important.

The return on investment from MAP for the American taxpayer dollar is huge: $24 are earned for every $1 invested in foreign market development. As Congress begins debating the next Farm Bill, ...

In 2015 we endured our largest and most expensive animal health emergency in U.S. history when Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) swept across 15-states, causing the forced depopulation of 48 million chickens and turkeys and a $3.3 billion economic impact. Unfortunately, we have seen several additional avian influenza incidents in recent months.

As a large animal veterinarian, I have seen first-hand the crippling effects animal disease outbreaks have on U.S. poultry and livestock producers and our rural economies. Congress has an opportunity to mitigate these impacts in the next Farm Bill by establishing an Animal Pest and Disease Disaster Prevention Program – a much needed preventive approach to addressing the myriad of devastating livestock and poultry disease incidents we have been facing over the past several years. This call to arms requires the ...

Why does something called a “Farm Bill” impact you? Not only do farmers and ranchers depend on such a bill, but people in communities across the United States depend on the bill for a host of programs, from risk management and conservation, to nutrition programs. The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture is leading the charge calling for a Farm Bill that ensures consumers have access to the safest, highest quality and affordable food supply. We are glad to see the attention the House and Senate Agriculture Committees are devoting to crafting the next Farm Bill. We urge Congressional leadership and the Administration to work together to make the next Farm Bill a priority and ensure ample funding for effective farm and food programs.

Why are we asking for a Farm Bill now? The Farm Bill started in 1933 to help struggling farmers during the Great Depression. Since then, this legislation has become vital for everything from agriculture ...

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